The evolution of mobile communication systems, specifically terrestrial cellular networks, has dramatically increased the availability of wireless data services and their adoption for wireless communication and information exchange. Mobile communication systems operate on licensed spectra, require special equipment, different from that for accessing other wireless networks, and furthermore require subscriptions to corresponding mobile communication system services. This can increase complexity, cost of manufacture and operation, specifically of wireless handsets that can also communicate with other networks or via other interfaces. Costs of acquisition and operation for a user can be further increased because in order to access the Internet from multiple wireless handsets, service providers often require a single subscriber to enter into multiple subscriptions, and to buy and possess multiple mobile communication system access equipment including cellular transceivers, cellular phones and/or cellular network modems, for example. Nevertheless, cellular phones with additional WiFi, Bluetooth, USB and/or other wireless or wired network interfaces are being adopted in increasing numbers worldwide.
The cost for Internet access may be reduced by selectively using network interfaces of mobile communication system handsets depending on network coverage and access to the Internet via other networks. For example, a mobile phone with a cellular and a wireless local area network (WLAN) interfaces ma be configured to switch between using a cellular network and a WLAN access point/hotspot in order to provide data and/or voice services. Finding and maintaining reliable hotspot services from a wireless handset, specifically in unfamiliar territory, however, can prove time-consuming, unreliable and costly. In some eases, hotspot services may not be available at all. Furthermore, operating a WLAN link, typically causes increased power consumption which is of concern specifically in battery powered wireless handsets. A power saving solution for a battery powered handset for accessing a WLAN hotspot is disclosed in United States Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0058031 which teaches using a Bluetooth™ connection to find and establish a WLAN connection from the handset to the access point.
Internet access via a mobile communication system may also be provided by tethering wireless handsets. Tethering involves using a wireless handset, which is not configured to communicate with a mobile communication network by itself, in combination with a wireless handset that is so configured and used as a relay for relaying communication to and from the other handset. For example, a notebook may be connected to a mobile phone with a USB cable, Bluetooth™ or WLAN to form a USB, Bluetooth™ or WLAN dialup network for the notebook without the notebook being configured to access the cellular network directly. The operation of multiple network connections, specifically WLAN, during tethering, however, causes increased power consumption which is of concern specifically in battery powered handsets. Tethering furthermore requires adequate configuration of both handsets, and aspects of the configuration left to the user may be both menial and frustrating. There are a number of open and proprietary tethering software solutions including those of TapRoot Systems Inc. and Joikusoft Oy Ltd. This tethering software, however, does not provide benefits other than to facilitate usability of configuration and operation of the wireless handsets for tethering.
Therefore there is a need for a solution that overcomes at least one of the deficiencies in the art.
This background information, is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior an against the present invention.